Core-Proteomics-Based Annotation of Antigenic Targets and Reverse-Vaccinology-Assisted Design of Ensemble Immunogen against the Emerging Nosocomial Infection-Causing Bacterium Elizabethkingia meningoseptica

Muhammad Idrees, Muhammad Yasir Noorani, Kalim Ullah Altaf, Eid A. Alatawi, Faris F. Aba Alkhayl, Khaled S. Allemailem, Ahmad Almatroudi, Murad Ali Khan, Muhammad Hamayun, Taimoor Khan, Syed Shujait Ali, Abbas Khan and Dong-Qing Wei
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Muhammad Idrees: Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Muhammad Yasir Noorani: Nishtar Medical College, Multan 59300, Punjab, Pakistan
Kalim Ullah Altaf: Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Bishkek 720000, Kyrgyzstan
Eid A. Alatawi: Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Faris F. Aba Alkhayl: Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Khaled S. Allemailem: Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Almatroudi: Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Murad Ali Khan: Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Sciences and Technology, Kohat 26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Muhammad Hamayun: Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Taimoor Khan: Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Syed Shujait Ali: Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Abbas Khan: Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Dong-Qing Wei: Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is a ubiquitous Gram-negative emerging pathogen that causes hospital-acquired infection in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. It is a multi-drug-resistant bacterium; therefore, an effective subunit immunogenic candidate is of great interest to encounter the pathogenesis of this pathogen. A protein-wide annotation of immunogenic targets was performed to fast-track the vaccine development against this pathogen, and structural-vaccinology-assisted epitopes were predicted. Among the total proteins, only three, A0A1T3FLU2, A0A1T3INK9, and A0A1V3U124, were shortlisted, which are the essential vaccine targets and were subjected to immune epitope mapping. The linkers EAAK, AAY, and GPGPG were used to link CTL, HTL, and B-cell epitopes and an adjuvant was also added at the N-terminal to design a multi-epitope immunogenic construct (MEIC). The computationally predicted physiochemical properties of the ensemble immunogen reported a highly antigenic nature and produced multiple interactions with immune receptors. In addition, the molecular dynamics simulation confirmed stable binding and good dynamic properties. Furthermore, the computationally modeled immune response proposed that the immunogen triggered a strong immune response after several doses at different intervals. Neutralization of the antigen was observed on the 3rd day of injection. Conclusively, the immunogenic construct produces protection against Elizabethkingia meningoseptica ; however, further immunological testing is needed to unveil its real efficacy.

Keywords: Elizabethkingia meningoseptica; proteome; vaccine targets; vaccines; in silico cloning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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